


Polyautale

by lovelybones28



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: A little tragedy, Angst, Because I must go all out if I'm already going to hell, Betrayal, Child Death, Comedy, Competition, Core incident was no accident, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gaster is a sick fuck, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Multi, Multiple corpses later on, Past Child Abuse, Physical Abuse, Polyautale, Possession, Possible Rambling chapters regarding headcannons not written into the story, Reverse harem later on, Romance, Sage the SHIT out of the true lab, Semi-anthro estrus, Unethical and brutal science experiments, Unexpected Dominance hierarchy, lovelybones28
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-07-15 09:40:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7217305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelybones28/pseuds/lovelybones28
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a young woman looks for her brother in the underground after he went looking for Frisk, she sees unimaginable worlds, meets new friends, and even finds love along the way.... But, unfortunately, a pair of eyes watches from the shadows, finding that her.... ENDURANCE may be the key to their 'happy ending.' Love will be found, betrayal is a promise, and when three worlds collide thanks to the three humans.... There's no telling what can happen, or how many times blood will be shed due to misconception....</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Don't Take her Hand....

“What’s your name? Why don’t we call you Ashton…? You are a bit dusty from killing so many people in the last world you were in, after all. Oh. That’s your actual name. Eh, whatever. Point is, you’re a killer, but, you seemed to choose who you wanted to kill. Why is that? Why only take pity on a few monsters, even though they legitimately wanted to kill you, over and over? ….You must be a masochist or something. Anyways, I see how you’re looking at me in confusion. You think you know me, but I’m not who you think I am, am I? You want to find him, right? Find the one you’re being so incorruptible, filled with ENDURABILITY? To fulfill a promise you refuse to break? You got spunk, kid, but, let’s see how you do in this world….”

\--

A young woman, maybe around twenty, was falling down a deep, dark hole, unconscious, until she landed with a thud onto a bed of yellow flowers. She woke up, and groaned softly, then opened her eyes, looking up at the faint light coming through what looked like a pin hole of an entrance…. How the hell did she survive? It doesn’t matter. What DOES matter, is that she’s alive, and she needs to find a way out of here. Up wasn’t an option, she didn’t have the body or equipment for that…. 

She sighed, then winced as she got onto her feet, and shakily stood. Even though she had no signs of harm, her body ached as if she was violently attacked, stabbed, shot, and any other wound type imaginable. She must have hit her head hard or something…. 

The young woman caught a hint of light out of the corner of her eye, and looked over, and saw a patch of grass with a single flower, but, it looked odd, like it didn’t belong there…. Curiosity be damned, she went over to it, curious. Suddenly, the flower showed its face, wide, black and shiny eyes piercing into her own, with an equally unnerving smile to match. “Well, howdy! I’m Flowey, Flowey the Flower! Hmm…. You’re new to the underground, aren’tcha? Golly, you must be so confused.” Admittedly, the young woman was, and was wondering if she was suffering from a concussion or something right now. “Someone ought to teach you how things work around here! I guess little old me will have to do. Ready? Here we go!”

Suddenly, a lavender colored heart left their chest, and landing in an odd square that hovered between them, like a window. Something felt wrong, REALLY wrong…. “See that heart? That’s your SOUL, The very culmination of your being!” The young woman paled, feeling a sort of anxiety kick in, feeling a grim sense of déjà vu hit her. “Oh? Look at how big your heart is! You must have a lot of LV! What’s LV stand for? Why, LOVE of course!” The young woman saw that her LV was 20, and thought it was pretty weird. Was she loved dearly before she fell? If she was…. Why did she fall into this place? “You want more LOVE, don’t you? Don’t worry, I’ll share some with you!” Um, that was a bit creepy, but okay, and it didn’t help that Flowey winked at her, too. “Down here, LOVE is shared through…. Little white…. ‘Friendliness Pellets.’ Are you ready? Move your SOUL around, catch as many as you can!” Suddenly, the ‘friendliness pellets’ came after her SOUL, and despite her better judgement, she ran her soul into them, and suffered crippling pain in her chest, making her crash to the ground, gasping. She saw what her HP was, and saw that she only had 1 HP left. The flower soon had a malicious grin on his face, and then spoke in a cruel tone. “You idiot. In this world, it’s kill, or BE killed~! Why would ANYONE pass up an opportunity like this?!” Then, a ring of the pellets surrounded her soul, and Flowey smiled, before speaking condescendingly, “DIE,” before laughing demonically as the pellets floated closer and closer to her soul, until they disappeared, and her health bar was full again, naturally confusing the young woman and the flower, until he flew off, having been struck with a magical white flame. Fucking demon weed. 

“What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth….” The young woman saw a large, humanoid goat creature came forth, bearing a motherly expression and tone. Why did this female seem so familiar…? Yet not to the young woman? As if her worries were all too clear, the creature looked at her kindly, and harmlessly assured, “Ah, do not be afraid, my child. I am Toriel, caretaker of the RUINS. I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down. Though, you’re the third one to fall down here in a short while! Come! I will guide you through the catacombs, this way.” Toriel then lead the way through an archway, and into a long corridor, with scattered red leaves in a rectangle, then a pile of those same leaves between two stairways, but in front of the pile was a little glowing light. The young woman, on impulse, touched it, and heard echoes in her mind, a voice familiar and dear to her, “The shadow of the RUINS looms above, filling me with DETERMINATION.” Huh…. Odd. ‘HP restored.’ That’s comforting. Nothing beats being alive and well. 

Meanwhile, a small boy and a young child were on their way to a town called Snowdin. The boy wanted be brave for his new friend, but being in a new place full of potential danger made him anxious. But the small friend was confident, and held his hand comfortingly. 

So far, the boy named Ian was at LV 2, while the child, who hasn’t spoken a word was at LV 1 still. They wouldn’t harm a fly, but Ian killed a few monsters out of fear and self-defense for him and his friend. The Loox were unrelenting, so could you blame him? So far, the two children were friends with Toriel, Sans, and Papyrus, but Ian was a bit suspicious of Sans, and he was a bit weirded out by Papyrus’s cooking technique. He also felt a little sad that Toriel closed the door on them after they left, but…. He also missed home, too, missing his family and pets, though, he missed his sister the most, despite the fight they had before he left, and ended up in the underground. The child nudged him out of his thoughts, giving him a gentle smile, and began leading them toward Waterfall.


	2. Underfell? Looks Like Everyone’s Having a Bloody Swell Time!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We begin poor Ash's adventure in Underfell, where most morals are tossed out the window.... But, perhaps her friend Flowey will be able to guide her through safely? You'll only know if you read on.... And survive a sharp shock.

Today was a normal day, sort of, for Ashton Carter, a young woman of 20 years old in the later parts of spring, melding into summer. Recently, a small child by the name of Frisk disappeared from a nearby orphanage, and it’s been three days since their disappearance, so of course the town was abuzz with worry still, with search dogs getting involved and everything. Though, they were worried, mostly due to the fact that they knew the child somewhat, due to her younger brother, who was going to be 15 fairly soon, having been taking sign language classes with them. His name was Ian Carter, and he had a bit of a hearing disability, as well as moderate ADHD, making him a bit impulsive when he wasn’t on his medication. 

Though…. He was acting off, despite having taken his medicine, and wasn’t playing his games like he normally does. Ashton knocked on his door, before coming in, looking worried. “Hey, bud…. How are you feeling?” She asked, giving him a soft smile. “Frisk’s still gone….” Was all he said looking grim. “I know bud, but I’m sure the authorities will find them soon—” “Ash, I think they went to that cave on Mt Ebott.” “W-what? No, th-they couldn’t have…. They’re only what, ten?” “Twelve, but I’m serious! The other kids at the orphanage were talking about it, and said that Frisk was too chicken to go and check it out….” He looked very, VERY concerned, and even looked like he was going to cry. Ashton frowned, and paled slightly, recalling how the authorities had their hounds track Frisk’s scent to that mountain, and it ended at a hole…. “Ian, I promise the authorities will find them—” “Ash, they AREN’T!!” He yelled, standing up suddenly. He was five foot nine, easily towering over Ashton by an easy nine inches, and she flinched, before feeling defensive. “YES THEY ARE, IAN, AND FRISK WILL COME BACK!!” She yelled at him, then suddenly, she was on the floor, her back having hit the floor as her younger brother pushed her away, and ran out of the room, and from the slamming door downstairs, outside. She cursed, grabbing her hoodie, phone, and shoes before running outside, and seeing that he wasn’t within sight, she ran towards the mountain.

By the time Ashton got to the foot of the mountain, Ian was nowhere in sight, though, when they got to the mouth of the cave, and saw that one of his shoes got stuck under a root near a deep, dark looking hole, her heart fell as her blood ran cold. “….Ian….? Ian? IAN?!?!” She looked around frantically, clutching his shoe to their chest, and started to sob. “IAN, IF YOU’RE FUCKING HIDING AROUND HERE, I-I’M GOING TO BE SO FUCKING MAD!! JUST…. J-Just come out…. Please….” She whimpered, falling to her knees, hoping this was all just a bad dream, but…. It actually happened. Two children were lost to Mt. Ebott…. No. NO. NO. Ashton looked into the hole, and bit her lip before shooting a call to her mother, but, it went to voicemail. “M-mom, Ian went to Mt. Ebott…. I-I’m so sorry…. G-get the cops, and have the fire department get someone up here so they can try to get in the hole…. Mom…. I-I’m sorry….” She hiccupped, though, before she could end the call, the ground beneath her began to crumble, and she fell into the hole, screaming, while her phone stayed on the ground, along with her brother’s shoe. 

\--

Ashton woke up on a bed of golden flowers, her head sore, and when they looked up, they saw only a small speck of light from above, and they paled. No…. No way. There’s no way the young woman survived a fall from a height like this!! But… if she did, then….! “Ian?! Ian, are you down here?! Little bud, please answer me if you’re here!!” She cried out, before shakily standing, and running towards an archway, and entered a dark room with reddish walls, and a single earthen patch with a damaged flower drooping in the center of it. 

Ashton, curious, stepped towards it, and jumped back when it flinched, and looked at her, pleading fearfully, “Please d-don’t kill me!!” She blinked, then frowned, looking at the flower, and crouched down, trying to be eye-level with it. “It’s okay little guy…. No one’s going to hurt you…. Say, have you seen a boy run through here? Taller than me by about a head and a half, sort of shaggy brown hair, pale, hazel green eyes?” The flower frowned, and shook his head. “Sorry, no…. Why?” “H-he’s my little brother….” Tears formed in her eyes, and the flower looked so awkward. “H-hey, hey!! Stop crying!! You’ll alert HER.” “Wh-who?” She asked, sniveling. She never worked under emotional distress well. “The caretaker of the ruins, TORIEL. She’s crazy, I tell you, and she’ll try to bake you into a pie if she finds you!!” The flower warned, and Ashton looked horrified. “W-what?” “Look, tell you what: If your brother came by while I was hiding, maybe I can help you find him. Besides, if you run into anyone down here, you’ll get killed. Down here, the law is ‘kill or be killed’, no matter how much some of us hate it….” The flower sighed, and Ashton softly cradled its petals. “Hey, hey, look, I’ll bring you along, and we can work together and not get killed. I’d love the assistance…. I’m Ashton.” “I-I’m Flowey….” The little flower smiled, then coiled up the human’s arm, and rested his head on her shoulder softly. “Let’s go before she appears.” 

Meanwhile, further on, a large humanoid goat creature was baking, humming happily as she sprinkled dust into the butterscotch filling, then topped it with cinnamon before putting it in the oven, smiling grimly. “Another pie…. For another human to eat…. I do hope they stay this time…. And not run away, like the other six did….”

\--

About 50 g in winnings later, and some cuts and bruises from various puzzles later, Ashton and Flowey were at a large, blackened and barren tree in front of what looked like a house, and Flowey was cowering a bit. “I-Is this the place…. Where she lives?” “Yeah, and…. I hope your brother managed to get in here and leave while she was patrolling….” Ashton paled, and her blood ran cold. “She better not have hurt Ian….” She felt her soul glow in her chest, a color lighter, and more hopeful than the constant red all around her. Lavender…. At a strong level five. Though, they didn’t have a speck of dust on them. Oddly…. They managed to talk everyone out of fighting, and they still seemed to gain experience and LVs…. Flowey didn’t understand it either, but… the more Ashton got hurt, the more their experience went up at the end of a battle.

They trudged on, and the young woman meekly knocked out of habitual manners. “Ashton, don’t knock—” “Who’s there~?” A sweet, almost too sweet voice called from the other side, and Ashton flinched. “A-a girl looking for their little brother?” The monster on the other side of the door gasped faintly, and smiled. They only felt one human enter the underground, so…. Perhaps this child was truly lost? Maybe they hit their head on the way down, too! The door opened, revealing a goat-like monster woman who seemed to have reddened bags under her eyes, which were a blood red. Before the door was even opened, Flowey had hid in their shirt, knowing Toriel wanted to destroy it. “Why don’t you come in for some rest, food, and a little chat, hmm? I’m sure you’re tired from searching for your little brother.” Toriel smiled, looking tired, but loving. Ashton nodded, wondering why Flowey was so nervous about her, and thought the flower was overreacting. “I’d love that, thank you….” She smiled, and entered the house despite Flowey shaking against her back. She looked around and saw a staircase and calendar near the top, and two her right was a hallway with two doors, and to the left was a living room with a dining table, and what looked like a kitchen beyond that. 

The caretaker of the ruins then led Ashton to the bedroom, which looked comfortable, but used to be a younger child’s room before. “You may sleep in here if you like, and I’ll bring you something to eat when you wake up.” Toriel smiled softly, then closed the door behind her. “Ashton, what are you THINKING?? She’s going to kill you if you try to leave now!!” “Flowey, I’m sure you’re over reacting--” “I am not overreacting!!” The flower hissed, getting in her face. “We need to get out of here before she decides to seal the door to the exit of the ruins if she hasn’t already!” “Alright alright…. But I am tired, you know…. Getting my butt kicked by frogs and anxious little sprites wore me out…. Also, Loox and Vegetoids are hard to deal with.” Flowey sighed, then gave in. “Fine, but only one night. But, come morning, we’re LEAVING.” Flowey hissed, then squeaked when the human held it close as they laid down, being one to need to hug something in order to sleep properly, and there was only one pillow on the bed….

When morning came, Ashton yawned, and Flowey had hidden itself under their shirt against her chest, making her blush, but had a feeling Toriel came in the night or early morning to leave a slice of butterscotch cinnamon pie by the bed. “D-don’t eat it Frisk…. S-save it for later. We still have that monster candy and a dozen spider donuts….” Flowey murmured, and Ashton nodded, sticking the pie in their inventory. Oddly, Flowey seemed to have unlimited space in its own, so it carried most of the healing items for her. The pair soon left the room, and peeked in Toriel’s, and thought it was a bit too clean. They then went to the living area, seeing that she was reading a book, but they left the room without a sound before sneaking down the stairs, to see what looked like a dark, long hallway. They got a few steps in, before Toriel stood behind them, smiling eerily. “And where do you think you’re going, my child~?” 

Ashton jumped and spun around, to see Toriel’s eyes looking a bit crazed as tears ran down her cheeks. “Don’t you know what’ll happen if you leave?” Oh shit. Ashton bolted down the hallway, panic kicking in as the monster kept on her heels. “You’re going to die if you leave!! They—Asgore, will kill you if he finds you!!” Toriel called after the human, and sent a few fireballs to block the door, making Ashton stop in their tracks. “I-if you stay with me, I’ll keep you happy and well-fed, child!! N-no one will ever hurt you again!!” Ashton flinched, then looked at Toriel, wondering how she knew. Flowey didn’t even know, and it was clinging to their back, where a good amount of scars were. “….You don’t know me, and I can’t stay. I have to find my little brother!!” She clenched her fists, and got in a fight stance. The monster only grinned more as tears rolled down her furry cheeks. “Then so be it. Prove to me you’ll survive!!” 

\--

After a long, arduous battle, Ashton stood shakily, burns covering a good portion of their skin, and they didn’t have enough candy to repair it all after they defeated Toriel, who fled in mournful tears, and never looked back. The pair went through one door, and on the other side, it was considerably colder, and poor Aston shivered, having only been wearing purple and black shorts which were frayed and worn in places, black fake cons from Faded Glory, and a black hoodie lined with lavender fleece, and a black tank top that had a Celtic knot work skull in silver on her decently sized chest. The cold got even worse as the pair got closer to the final door, which opened with a gust of wind, and made the poor girl stop in place, and hug herself. “FUCK it’s cold out here!!” She whined almost angrily, having been a bit weak to extreme temperatures. Though, she guessed the cold air would somewhat help her burns…. Though, she noticed a save star to her left, and quickly touched it, and sighed in relief as a rush of warmth filled and healed her, but was shivering again in no time. She and Flowey continued along the path, finding that it was eerily quiet. She spied a fallen branch but paid it no mind…. 

Though, just as they stepped over it, taking a few steps until they felt eyes on her back, Ashton heard the branch snap, and quickly turned around, seeing that it was snapped in two. “Ashton, keep moving.” Flowey nervously instructed, and Ashton nodded as she continued on the path…. Though, she felt eyes again, and when she turned to see one more time, she yelped softly when they saw a shadow appear then disappear. She began bolting towards a bridge up ahead, but a good few feet before it, she tripped, landing in the snow with a yelp, and heard crunching footsteps in the snow, before looking behind here, a dark magic obscuring the stranger’s appearance. “Hey, you shouldn’t fall for me, I’m bad to the bone.” Said the figure with a low, almost gravelly voice, yet, it wasn’t rough on the ears. He offered her a hand. “C’mon, you’ll catch your death of cold if you stay on the snow like that. From the looks of ya, you snow what it’s like to feel terrible pain.” Ashton hesitated, but grabbed his hand, and regretted it. 

There was something like a joy buzzer in his skeletal hand, but, he had an iron grip on her for a good thirty seconds, the painful zapping forcing a violent stabbing pain into poor Ashton’s palm as she was pulled to stand, almost face to face with a skeleton, whose mouth consisted of only sharp fang-like teeth, one of them being made of gold that glinted in the low light of the area, and had eyes that almost looked into her soul. The young woman yelped, and pulled away as soon as she could, holding her stinging hand as she took in the skeleton before her. He was stout, but only slightly taller than her, maybe by two inches, wearing a red turtleneck sweater, a black hooded jacket with copious amounts of floof brimming the hood, black basketball shorts with a single vertical red on each side, red and white Cons, and about his neck was a thick, black leather collar that was studded with sharp silver spikes, and the hook in the middle only had two chain links to it. “Wh-who are you?!” Ashton asked, sounding rightfully angry, and the skeleton merely chuckled. “I’m Sans, Sans the skeleton, and boy, I had fun hearing you scream~ But, now that you know my name….~<3 I wonder how nice you sound when you plead for me not you kill you? Gasping as I wring that pretty neck of yours~?”


	3. When Gravity’s a Bitch, at Least You Didn’t Fell.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so we introduce the younger brother, Ian, and his initial reactions to the Swaptale underground!!

Ian Carter was understandably upset after hearing that his friend had gone missing, and how after three days, there was still no news about Frisk’s whereabouts. When he heard knocking, he had hoped there’d be news about Frisk’s wellbeing, but…. There was none, and he was even more upset…. And, inevitably, he got into an argument with his sister, who was five years older than he, before he pushed her aside, and ran to the mountain, needing to see for himself whether or not there was any clues as to Frisk’s whereabouts. Frisk was mute, but not deaf, and so he called their name, panic in his tone. He ran into the mountain, calling out for his friend until he fell, and fell down a hole after losing his shoe thanks to tripping and snagging on a raised root. 

\--

When the teen woke up next, he groaned sitting up and cursing as he rubbed his head, then cursed again when he noticed a shoe was gone. He looked around, and noticed a path up ahead of him, and before he got going, though, he checked his ears, and was relieved to know he still had his hearing aids. ‘Mom’d kill me if I lost these on top of falling down here…. If Ashton doesn’t kill me first.’ Ian thought as he stepped unevenly along, and noticed an odd dog….Cat…. looking creature wearing a shirt under a beam of light, and was a bit wary of how it smiled at him. “Hoi! I’m Temmie, Temmie the Tem!!” It greeted the young man, and he just. Noped out of there. He’s not dealing with this Lol Cat-sounding creature, nuh uh. 

Though, as he went further into the ruins-like environment, he did bump into a brick wall of fur, and almost fell on his ass, though, he was caught by the hand, and a booming and fatherly voice asked. “Are you alright, young one? I’m sorry for not seeing you approach sooner. Ah, I’m Asgore, the caretaker of these ruins, and I was about to make my rounds to make sure no one fell down here…. But it seems you have! And what happened to your shoe?” He asked, looking concerned at Ian, who sputtered a bit, “I-I’m alright, just a little spooked is all…. And I’m Ian Carter….And I think I lost in on the way down the hole.…” He groaned, and the kind goat-like monster took his hand. “Well, I’m sure I can make you some new shoes when we get to my home.” He said kindly, and led Ian through a series of puzzles, and taught the young man how to handle himself in FIGHTs, and was proud to see that he was merciful. But, sadly, when left alone, the young man had difficulty defending himself, and may have killed a few Loox on the way to Asgore’s home, where the fatherly monster was baking pie. 

Upon arrival, Ian was greeted with a hearty laugh and hello, and saw there were a new pair of shoes very similar to his own currently warn and beat up one. He wasn’t too nice to his shoes. “Ian, would you like some pie? It’s butterscotch cinnamon, and did you find your new shoes?” “Yeah, I did, and thank you, too! How were you able to make them, though?” “The simplest answer would be magic, young one.” Ian nodded, and slipped them on and found that they were already broken in for his feet already, and was very curious. “So, Asgore, do you live alone here?” The young man asked, and the elder male sighed softly, and nodded. “Yes, and the few visitors I have never stay long, as they have things to get done. But, I tend to the flowers and trees here as I can, and make sure everyone’s happy in the ruins. But, I have to ask, why did you come down here? Did you fall into the underground by mistake?” Ian shook his head, and sighed softly. “No, I came down here looking for a friend that went missing three days ago…. Maybe you’ve seen them? Little under five foot tall, always wears fuchsia long sleeve shirts with two blue horizontal stripes on the torso, sorta bowl cut brown hair that’s little past chin length, and has a yellowish complexion that’s pale. They go by the name Frisk, and speak in sign language.” The monster frowned, shaking his head. “Sadly, no such child has fallen down here…. But, fear not! I’m sure they’ll be found soon…. But for now, let’s get you fed and rested, alright?” Asgore smiled warmly, though, his eyes looked sad. The child described sounded so similar to his late human child, Chara. 

\--

After having eaten some pie, and saved a piece for the road, Ian went to bed, and slept soundly through the night…. Though, near morning, or whatever it was in the underground, he woke up to a feeling of loss, and teared up, recalling that he was down here, and not at home…. And that his sister was probably-- “Ashton!!” He jumped up, and looked around, and found Asgore sitting in a chair, reading a book until Ian came in. “Is something wrong, young one?” “M-my sister, s-she’s probably worried sick about me and—” “Ian, calm…. Now, are you worried she may have tried to follow you here?” “Y-yes…. God, she’s going to hate me….” “She won’t, Ian, I’m sure of it. She’ll be too worried to be upset with you. Would you like me to go with you and see if she did fall down here?” “Y-yes, sir….” The young man was hoping Ashton didn’t join him in the underground, but…. Knowing how clumsy his sister was, she may have fell in if she looked too far forward into the hole.

After a while of searching, the pair didn’t find Ashton, and Ian was somewhat relieved, though he was still nervous. “Asgore? If you ever find my sister, would you try to help her find me, too? I know how she gets when she’s alone in a new place, despite her being twenty….” He sighed softly, and was tearing up a bit. “Young one, it’s going to be alright. If she does fall down here trying to search for you, I’ll be sure to help you two reunite. You sound like you care for her deeply, and I just hope that if she’s not down here, then she’s still on the surface, waiting for your return…. And as far as that goes, I believe it’d be best if you headed on your way, that way you can meet her on the surface, too.” The elder male smiled sadly, then gave the teen a warm hug, before giving him a back pack filled with goodies to heal him along the way, then escorted him to the door, and wishing him luck. 

The young man was walking in the snow, shivering a bit as he looked around. The tall columns of thin, dead trees were very unsettling, and naturally, he had the heebie-jeebies…. Though, it only got worse when a thick branch broke behind him, yet no one was there. He soon made it to a bridge that was barely barricaded off, and was about to step onto it when he saw a taller shadow loom above him. He quickly turned around, startled, and almost fell on his rear again, but was caught by a long-face skeleton that looked tried with a cigarette hanging out of his…. Well. He didn’t have lips, but the cigarette was sorta suspended in mid-air near his teeth. “Woah there, kid, I’m not gonna kill ya, so chill. Are you alright?” The younger male took a look at the taller skeleton, then nodded a bit shakily before being helped to stand. The skeleton was a good head or so taller than Ian, and wore an orange-cream hoodie, greyish-blue sweatpants, orange and white cons, . “A-are you really a skeleton?” “Yeah, and I’m pretty bony too.” He snickered, and Ian laughed a bit too. “So, uh, Mr. Skeleton, I’m Ian Clark, and I’m looking for a younger kid than me. Their name is frisk, is less than five feet tall, and—” “Sorry, kid, you’re the only human to have left the ruins in a good five years. But, who knows, maybe they fell somewhere else. There are a lot of holes from the surface, and especially so near Waterfall. If you want, I can try to help ya when I’m not workin’.” “I’d appreciate that…. And may I know your name?” “It’s Papyrus. Also, my younger brother’s going to be coming over real soon, so I suggest you hide behind that conveniently shaped lamp.” The skeleton casually pointed at it, and Ian did as told. Though…. When the human saw a shorter, livelier skeleton bound over with stars in his eyes, he panicked. Though…. It seemed the shorter skeleton didn’t notice him…. That’s…. Odd. 

\--

Terrible puns, and some perceived ‘ratting out’ later, Ian left from behind the lamp, and looked at Papyrus with a squinty, suspicious look. “….Were you trying to sell that I was a lamp too?” “Yep. All part of the plan. Why don’t you scurry on now?” Papyrus put out his now dead cigarette, then began lighting a new one as the young man left…. But, he stopped mid-flick of his lighter, and looked back at the door to the ruins…. Something was up, and it didn’t feel right…. There was something stronger than the monster behind that door now…. He hid in the shadows until he heard shaky footsteps finally leave the ruins, and…. Honestly, the skeleton was shocked to see another human come out, but…. She looked, and smelled…. Older? Yeah, older than the kid he just said goodbye to. Though, what she was wearing wasn’t the best for the weather here. Once she passed him, he began following her, feeling tense, and once she got to the bridge, he stopped her. “Say, don’t cha know how to greet a new friend?” The skeleton extended his hand, hand whoopee cushion applied, though…. She flinched before turning around, and looked up at him, then at his hand warily. She looked a bit scared…. Why would she be scared of him when she’s-- …. LV 20. “Wh-who are you….?” She asked, looking up at him with fearful violet eyes that seem to have seen so much suffering…. But…. Was it her own, or others’?


	4. There’s Someone More Tsundere than a Cactus….

The young woman looked TERRIFIED, and bolted along the path, over the somewhat shady bridge, and soon came upon what looked like a concession booth, but that slight distraction cost Ashton, as she collided with the brick wall of a skeleton before falling back a bit before being pulled close by Sans, his sharp smirk trained onto her. “My, my…. Such a pretty little thing, but you’re so slow…. You’d have to run faster than that to escape me—” Sans’ voice cut off, and he looked nervous before quickly lifting the poor trembling and thrashing woman before stuffing her under the booth. “If you wanna live, stay quiet. The boss is coming, and he won’t hesitate to kill you.” Sans hissed out, before a rather tall, and sharp-soothed skeleton with three deep sars over one eye strode over, raising a marked brow at his subordinate. He wore black armor plating on his upper torso, with dramatically spiked out shoulders, edgy crimson gloves whose fingers came to a claw-like point. He also wore black and worn skinny jeans that almost hugged his legs perfectly, and was held up with a red leather belt studded with gold spikes and a gold skull belt buckle, and to top it all off, he wore scarlet heels that looked like they gave him an extra three inches. “What in the HELL are you doing?” “I-I’m uh…. T-tending to my post as you instructed me earlier, boss?” “….” He raised his brow higher, then scowled a bit. “Have you seen anything out of the ordinary? I’ve gotten word that the ruins opened up momentarily earlier today.” “Nope, I haven’t boss. Nothing shady or warm-blooded came from the ruins. Just warm, musty air.” “Hmmmm…. Well. Keep this up, and I might reward you when your shift here is over.” “Thank you, boss.” The taller skeleton huffed, then stormed off, his heels crunching softly in the snow. 

Once he was out of sight, Sans sighed softly, and slumped at his sentry station before remembering that there was a human female at his feet, and he smirked. “Hey, he’s gone now, but if you’d like to repay me for saving your frozen ass….~<3” “No thank you, I don’t return favors in such a lewd manner.” She huffed, then pushed him and his chair backwards, making him yelp out as she climbed out of her hiding spot. “Besides, you’re not my type.” Ashton glared at him, then began storming off, while the skeleton watched her go, bewildered for a good ten seconds, before catching up to her. “What do you mean, ‘I’m not your type’? Sayin’ just because I’m a bag of bones that I’m not appealing??” Ashton stopped in her footsteps, then turned on her heal to jab him in the sternum with a very accusatory finger, “You’re not my type because you’re a DICK. Who in their right mind would put up with an abusive partner?? Let alone the fact you’ve threatened my life atop of that, and then you expect me to be grateful after hiding me in a cramped space?! Yeah, no, not happenin’ bucko.” She huffed once more, then stormed off again, and the skeleton watched her go, then groaned softly as he ran a hand over his skull. “Fucking hell…. I really fucked up this time, huh? I need better research material than those shitty cartoons Alphys forced me to watch…. Human documentaries my ass.”

\--

Ashton was soon heading towards a save point in the middle of a crossroads, and touched it before going left, to find an angry-looking snowman. After talking with it, she received a snowman piece that…. Oddly wasn’t melting even though it was in her pocket. And it wasn’t cold. Huh. Ashton soon was coming back the way she came, and touched the save star again before inspecting a nearby box with what looked like boxing gloves…. She took them, then put her butterscotch cinnamon pie and snowman piece in there to free up some space in her pockets, before continuing onward. 

Though, upon entering the next clearing, she saw the skeletons bickering over something, seemingly meaningless, and looked nervous. “Boss, I assure you, the puzzle you made will stump anyone passing through, especially humans—” “Sans, I heard word that there’s a human female in the area, and that she arrived shortly after you left your post. I swear the timing’s utterly horrendous—” The taller of the skeletons then noticed Ashton off a ways, his orbits widening quite a bit, then Sans turned to look as well, and paled quite a bit, and looked worried for a moment before quickly putting on a look of annoyance and disinterest. Sans better not think Ashton didn’t catch that…. And now, the human actually felt a bit bad for yelling at him earlier. But, honestly a jerk or an act, he was still being a jerk. “Sans…. That’s her, isn’t it?” “Uh, yeah boss. She’s got a bit of bite to her though from what I hear.” Sans lied smoothly, not wanting to have to deal with Papyrus disciplining him if he figures out when there’s an audience. The taller skeleton smirked sharply, and stood ever taller than before. He easily was over six feet, heels or not. “Well, then. Human!! I, the Great and Tyrannical Papyrus shall make you endure many gauntlets filled with torture, mental anguish, and a high possibility of death!! Tread onward if you dare!! NYEHEHEHEHE~!!” The taller skeleton ran off like he was on a mission, though, it was easy to tell he was happy about this situation. 

Meanwhile, Sans stayed behind, and heaved a sigh. “Looks like you’re in for a long day. His puzzles are pretty formidable.” “Really know? Why don’t you help me out again?” “What?! Why?!” “Because you owe me for being an ass! Besides, I’m on a mission of my own, and I don’t have time to deal with possible death. I need to find my brother and his friend before someone else does.” The skeleton looked at her, shocked, then softened a bit. “Wait, you have a brother?” “Yeah, his name’s Ian, and he went down a whole in Mt Ebott looking for them, their name is Frisk, but unless you know sign language, you probably won’t understand them unless you’re good at charades. Ian’s taller than me, almost as tall as your brother, but he’s only fifteen, and can be impulsive at times, brunette hair, hazel green eyes, and was wearing jeans and a tee, and Frisk is only twelve, about a head shorter than me, and wears a blue sweater with purple horizontal stripes, and has brown hair as well. Have you seen either of them at all? They both went down the same hole as me, and before me, so they should’ve gone through here…” Sans grimaced, and sighed, lowering and shaking his head. “Sorry, Ash, haven’t seen either of them. You’re the only human I’ve seen come down here.” The young woman’s heart fell, and she looked so…. Lost. “N-no way…. No, I know they came down here!! Please tell me you’re lying!!” Ashton screamed as her eyes welled with tears, and Sans…. Sans sighed, then gently gripped her shoulders, looking her in the eye. “Look, just because they aren’t here, doesn’t mean they aren’t…. Here.” His tone betrayed a knowledge he wished he lacked, and Ashton didn’t like the sound of it…. But it brought her hope. “Explain, now.”


	5. Putting the Pieces Together, yet There are Still a few Missing….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long gap between chapters, life has been a bit wild since classes started, but I'm finally back, and hopefully I'll at least have a chapter out each week!! ;w;

Ashton looked up at Sans, needing answers now, while her little flowery friend hid at the small of her back. “Look, Ash, thing is, the underground has different…. Entrances, even if everyone enters the same hole.” “Sans, cut to the chase, I don’t have the time for enigmatic bullshit.” The skeleton flinched, then sighed, “Basically, there are many parallel universes, some almost identical, and other’s shockingly different. For all we know, your friends could be separated, or in the same one, or eventually make it into the same one. And, I have an odd feeling that you’ll all see each other again fairly soon, as long as you keep your goal close…. If it’s a matter of ‘reset’ drops…. I think that if other versions of you fell that way, you can chase those kids down, but also have different consciousness’s.” Ashton’s head spun from the information, and had to take a moment to process everything. “So, basically…. There are three me’s, and possibly two of either Frisk or Ian, and one of the other?” “Right. I’m sure once everything lines up, you’ll all be able to go home…. But that’s another chore altogether.” And why is that?” The woman asked, eyeing him suspiciously. “One cannot just simply cross the barrier at the end…. You have to either have seven different colored souls, or pass on your own by taking the soul of a boss monster.” “But I don’t want to kill anyone!!” Ashton frowned, and looked so conflicted. “Well, it’s obvious from your Endurance level versus your Enacted level.”

\--

After staying with Toriel for a short while after a night’s rest, Ashton got up, and found a piece of pie, and put it in their inventory…. They felt like they shouldn’t eat it until later. They soon found Toriel, and walked up to her, feeling a little nervous. “Um, Toriel?” “Yes, My child?” She replied, setting her book aside. “How do I get out of the ruins?” Ashton asked, making the motherly monster’s face fall a bit, then she smiled sadly. She wasn’t going to keep this young woman here, and besides…. Maybe she’ll meet up with the two children that came through here earlier? “Just go down the stairs, and fallow the hallways and at the end, there’s a large door. Go through it, and you should be in Snowdin forest…. Just know it’s dangerous out there, my child, and if you happen to see the two other children that came through here, please do what you can to keep them safe for me, please?” “Two children?” the young woman asked, a familiar tension forming in her chest. “Yes, one was a young fellow with some rather unkempt brown hair, And wore jeans and a tee shirt, and the other child was much smaller and wore a jumper that was blue with purple stripes, and had shoulder-length brown hair, and they were quite quiet.” Ashton was frozen in place for a few moments, then teared up before hugging Toriel closely. “Th-thank you!! I-I’ve been looking for those too, I-I can’t believe I forgot!!” Ashton sobbed, then ran off to leave the ruins, leaving a rather bewildered, and touched Toriel behind…. She really hoped that Ashton would find her friends soon.

By the time she made it out of the ruins, she was panting hard and heavy, but the cold air hit her hard once she opened the door, and let it shut behind her. Though, the cold only held her attention for a moment until she saw two sets of footprints in the snow, and she began running again, following them and calling out, hoping either Ian or Frisk would hear her, “IAN, FRISK, WHERE ARE YOU?!” She didn’t pay the broken branch any mind as she ran down the path to a bridge, though, she felt her pulse race faster when she felt a set of eyes on her, and when she finally got to the bridge, she stopped to catch her breath and looked around, anxiety soon overcoming her. “H-hello?” She called, looking around behind her towards the ruins, and when she didn’t get a reply, she sighed, feeling silly, though when she turned around, she screamed and fell backwards into the snow when she saw she was face to face with a skeleton, who looked really tense. He wore a lined blue hoodie, basketball shorts, and a pair of fuzzy pink slippers. “Say, uh, sorry for rattlin’ ya, but I heard you yellin’ so I came by to see what’s up. I’m Sans, Sans the skeleton, by the by.” His smile seemed a bit forced, and his tone had an underlying note of distrust in it, which only made Ashton feel all the more wary, and…. Almost a bit sad. He seemed so familiar, yet…. He wasn’t friendly at all. “I-I’m Ashton….” She murmured, and when he offered her his hand, she took it, and was actually a bit sad that there wasn’t something to ease the tension, like a whoopee cushion or something. And, Sans noticed the look as he pulled her up. “Hey, what’s that face for? Were you expecting something?” “Er -- no, no, I wasn’t…. You just seem familiar somehow….” His grip tensed, making her jump a little and look worried, but when he relaxed and let her go, she relaxed too, but not as much as she wanted to. It didn’t help that the lights in San’s eyes were trained on her, as if waiting for her to do something to prove some dark secret he thought he had about her. “So, little miss, tell me something, I swore I heard you say a couple names when you were running through. Are you looking for someone?” Ashton perked up at that, and nodded. “Y-Yes!! Have you seen --” “A tall boy and a shorter-than-you kid that doesn’t have much to say? Yeah, I have.” “How….” “I just know things. Now, They went through here yesterday, so if you wanna catch up, you better get a move on.” The young woman didn’t hesitate to run off at that, making Sans watch her in slight shock, then deep suspicion. “I’m going to keep a close eye on you, little miss….” He said lowly as his eyelights vanished. 

\--

“Wh-who are you?” Ashton repeated herself when the tall skeleton neglected to answer her while a bewildered look was on his face. “Oh, uh, I’m Papyrus, Papyrus the skeleton….” He said cooly after he regained his composure, then lit his neglected cigarette and taking a deep drag. “What’s got you so spooked?” “I-I had to fight th-the keeper of the ruins before he’d let me leave….” That made the male stiffen, and make a mental note to check on the old goat. “Tell me, how’s he doing?” “Huh? O-oh, he’s…. He’s upset I had to leave…. But I had to!! I need to find my brother!!” The skeleton’s orbits widened at that, then rose a brow curiously. “Describe him to me.” “T-Taller than me, brown hair, a tee shirt and jeans, and he’s a tad impulsive.” She said hurriedly, and with a confidence that said she was speaking the truth, and seeing as how her body language spoke of her dire need to find Ian, Papyrus relaxed a bit, but only slightly. He didn’t trust her level still. There’s not enough monsters in the ruins to account for that Level of Violence. And, if she WAS innocent…. Then something inside of her wasn’t. “Mind if I help ya find your bro?--” He almost panicked when she suddenly came forward and gripped his humeruses, “Y-you’ll help me find him?!” She asked, looking so desperate that it made the skeleton feel a bit of guilt for assuming she was all bad from the get go. It sorta reminded him of himself when he’d…. He can’t let those memories come back, not right now. “Of course. I know what it’s like to have to find your lil bro before he gets hurt.” He smiled a bit sadly, then blinked when she hugged him tight, making his soul skip a beat for a moment, which really confused him, and what befuddled him more was that he missed how warm and soft she was when she pulled away. “Let’s go, please?”


	6. Of Bleeding Hearts and Distrust.

Honey couldn’t believe this. He’s being lead around by a human woman with a high LV, as if they knew each other as friends. But, he couldn’t find it in him to deny her help…. Though, he definitely planned on keeping an eye on her. After all, he didn’t want a repeat of the prior human incident, even before Ian became the new ‘soul’ owner of this universe…. It was odd. Before, he could tell it was only three entities that could control resets, but…. Here this new kid is, while the younger human from before wasn’t anywhere to be seen, and…. It seemed the woman didn’t know of the kid from before her little brother. Perhaps that was a blessing, or worse, a curse.

Though, before long, Honey spotted his younger brother in the distance, and he quickly put Ashton behind the conveniently shaped snow poff nearby, whispering for her to be quiet as he leaned on the poff casually. “Papy, what are you doing here, leaning on that poff?? You should be helping me build clever puzzles with me!!” “Ah, don’t worry bro, I’m sure there’s nothing suspicious around here.” “You say that, then I see a human boy for the first time not even a little while ago!! We need to catch that human so I can be part of the royal guard, remember??” Honey tensed a little when he saw Ashton tense out of the corner of his orbit. “I know, Sans, but I’m sure you’re magnificent at making puzzles on your own. After all, you know how to make ‘em so they harm no body.” “That’s true…. But still, being a lazybones isn’t good!! You never know if there’ll be more humans!! He sorta smelled like he was around a female recently too!!” That got Honey worried, which made the smaller skeleton squint up at his brother. “…Why do you look worried?” “No reason at all.” “You’re lying! You always avert your eyes when you lie!” Honey sighed, then killed his stub of a cig in the snow. “Look, I’m sure that scent’s from before he fell down here, okay? I just checked the ruins, and there were no other new scents other than what came from that Ian kid.” The smaller skeleton watched him, then sighed before nodding. “If you say so…. But still, keep an eye out. If there are two humans, I want them both!!” “I know bro.” Honey smiled softly, and Blue grinned wide. “Good!! Now, I’ll go ahead and finish up the puzzles I started!! Mweh hehehehe!!”

And off Blue goes, faster than what his little body let on. He was like…. At chest height on the human woman, and soft-looking under the already somewhat oversized shirt and trousers he wore. But, his knee-high boots were adorable with buckles on them. Once the coast was clear, Honey let out a sigh of relief before turning to Ashton. “That was my little bro, and if he’s successful in catching your little bro, he’ll most likely be at our place. Hopefully he doesn’t realize that the shed’s lock is backwards.” Ashton looked up at him with a bit of suspicion. “So it’s unlockable from the inside?” “Yeah, didn’t have the heart to tell Sans that after he got it done.” “Knowing my little bro, even if that door was functioning, he’d try to find a way to force himself out.” She sighed, and Honey felt…. A bit of comradery with Ashton. His own brother was a bit like that, too. “Heh, well, hopefully Ian will stay in that cell long enough for you to catch up.” “I hope so too, but, I know he’d bust out as soon as he finds out. Now, let’s catch up and try to find Ian!” She insisted, taking Honey’s hand and began nearly dragging him along behind her. 

\--

“Endurance….Enaction? What does that have to do with anything?!” “Look, Ash, LV is LOVE, or Level Of Violence Enacted or Endured. You seem to have a soul that gets stronger as you endure battles, though most souls only LV up by being violent. Though, here, we know of both sides…. But other places commonly only know the violent kind of LVing up.” “So you’re saying…. Some people may see me as a threat if I go to the other universes?” “Only if the LV carries over, or you just naturally level up from square one.” Red looked at the human sadly, knowing for a fact that…. That a certain someone would not trust Ashton at all once she got to that other universe….   
But he intends on protecting her, no matter what. He knows Ashton isn’t a threat, she’s as harmless as a slime—well, even less than that. But, regardless, he knew she was going to get hurt by his alternate and or his brother’s alternate…. And he knew that’d wound her deeply, but worse than that…. He had a bad feeling that if she died in a different human’s timeline…. She’d only be able to come back with a hard reset in that timeline. 

….He didn’t want to imagine her dying.

“Well, sweetheart, I think we should get going, that way we can get you out of this timeline and into the one your lil bro and his friend is at, okay?” Ashton nodded, and…. Softly took his sleeve, smiling sadly. “Lead the way, Sans?” Red flushed terribly, and nodded, leading her down the path toward Snowdin. 

….This human was going to be the death of him, he swore.

\--

Ashton was past the ice button puzzle before she nearly collapsed from her running, her chest heaving. “D-dammit, w-why do I have to be out of shape….?” She soon sat in the snow, trying to catch her breath…. Though, she didn’t notice that a tall shadow loomed over her, before she was picked up by around her waist, making her squeak and look up, and was shocked to find a rather tall, broad-chested skeleton with a brilliant red scarf purse-carrying her. “H-hey, put me down!!” “But I can’t!! I’ve unfortunately let two humans go already, and I have to have a human if I’m to become part of the royal guard!!” Ashton paled, then tried to squirm more, but to no avail. And, before she knew it, she felt her chest grow heavy, and felt herself go limp. “Please stop squirming, human!” 

A bit a ways away, Sans saw that Pap had caught the woman, and felt tense. She was obviously stressed about this, though…. She looked scared. Probably for good reason, though. Papyrus has been foiled twice and…. He was not having a third it seemed. Soon, Papyrus was walking off with the human under his arm, and Sans followed quietly, and making sure not to be seen. If she tried anything, he’ll make sure she regrets it.


	7. Of Stubborn Younger Siblings and…. Hunger~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in a short amount of time?? Thank a good friend of mine, if you're so inclined. ;w; Between classes, and having a lack of appreciation in other projects I'm working on, I'm finding harder and harder to put energy in things I used to enjoy. But, aside from that, I hope you all enjoy, and.... I do hope you all enjoy! 
> 
> and.... Be prepared to learn a bit more about Ian and Ashton's familial situation, if you couldn't figure it out sooner. It's not a happy one, I must warn you, though....

“HOW IN THE HELL DOES HE KEEP BRINGING ME HERE??” Ian yelled as he found himself in the shed-cell again, feeling frustrated after his fourth ‘defeat’ by the smaller skeleton’s hands. This was getting ridiculous, and the only reason he wasn’t running out of here right away like the past three times was the fact he needed a plan of action. He didn’t want to hurt the little guy, feeling…. A bit of a familiar comradery in Blue, and…. The fact that he and Honey seemed to have a sorta similar relationship to what he and Ash had…. “….Ashton….” He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “….You’re probably worried sick about me, huh….? God, I’m a terrible brother….” He groaned, and wondered where Ashton was, and…. If she was okay. He’s had to comfort her before because she had a nightmare about him dying…. Rather violently in fact, and he felt a bit of guilt, remembering how she had bawled and shook against him. She was really torn up about it…. 

He sighed, then wiped his eyes, having felt a tear slip a little down his cheek. “She’s going to hit then hug me when I get back…” ‘If you can’ a voice in his head nagged, and he scowled. No, he was going to get out of here after finding Frisk, and then get home to Ashton, mom, and their pets…. Shit, he was supposed to be at his dad’s right now, if he was judging the time down her right. He growled, and hit the nearby mattress in anger. “Fuck!!” He knew how his dad was going to react to him disappearing like he did, knowing he was going to start even more shit with mom again…. Ashton’s going to be even more stressed too if she had to deal with dad too….

Ian shook his head, then stood up, taking a few deep breaths before looking towards the door. He opened it, and was glad that, again, the door wasn’t locked, and he left the shed, headed into town to restock, then came back to the blizzardy area, ready to go.

….

….?

Blueberry wasn’t there….?

….

Ian made a run for it, and without interruption, he soon made it to Waterfall, ready to face the coming obstacles as clear-headed as he could BRAVELY.

Meanwhile….

Honey was trying to keep up with Ashton, occasionally giving her directions when her navigational skills seemed to lack, and before long, they made it to Snowdin, and felt a bit worried. He could feel that Ian was no longer in the shed, even from the edge of town, but he could feel how frustrated his own brother was, just from how electrified the blizzard area was in the distance. “Uh, Ash, We should probably wait out the storm that’s brewing.” “What? No, I have to find Ian before he gets hauled off to the Queen or worse!!” She insisted, looking almost betrayed that Honey would suggest such a thing, not knowing he was trying to save her skin. “Ash, girl, you can’t go out there like that. Hell, I’m shocked you’re not frostbitten already. Let’s at least get you properly dressed and fed, maybe cleaned up too to help hide your scent from my bro, then I’ll personally lead you out of here once the storm settles, okay?” She wanted to argue, he could tell, but…. She knew he was being reasonable, and crossed her arms. “….Fine, but as soon as the storm’s over, you’re taking me out of here and helping me find Ian again, got it?” She asked, her tone becoming alarmingly authoritative and serious, and….

Honey, ashamedly, was glad he could redirect his magic to form less obvious forms of arousal. 

\--

Soon enough, Ashton and Red were in Snowdin, and though she was assured by the skeleton that none of the monsters would harm her here, she still didn’t like the looks aimed at her…. They looked distrusting, hungry, or, shockingly, even lewd, which made her cling to Sans all the more, which fed he good mood quite a bit, as well as the warmth in his cheeks. “Hey, sweetheart, let’s get you some warmer clothes, kay? You’re probably going to be here for a little while, and Waterfall won’t be warm till you pass the halfway point, but after that, you’ll be glad you have a cooler outfit on… Though, before we get to Hotland, I’m going to need to get you an anti-magma amulet. I’ve seen too many humans fry within the first few feet into the place.” Ashton paled at that, making the skeleton stammer. “B-but, the amulet will keep you safe, and I’m sure my alternates will keep you, your brother, and his friend safe!!” She relaxed a little at that, and nodded. “Thank you….” 

Sans soon took Ashton to the store ran by a roughened but motherly rabbit, and took the human over to where the clothing was sold. “Go ahead and pick out something you like!” He grinned, and was actually curious to see a bit more of her fashion taste… For later reference. She seemed comfortable so far showing off as much skin as she was, but he was wondering what her ideal ‘warm’ wardrobe was. Ashton soon picked out a sweater dress that was black and red striped, some lined sweatpants, a pair of better suited shoes for snow and wet, and also a red beanie. Though, he did notice that she wasn’t too keen on the jackets there too, as she tried some of the bigger ones on, and they didn’t seem to fit her right. “Something wrong?” “O-oh, it’s just…. I think the winter coats aren’t human-proportion friendly….” “Well, tell you what, since my coat seems to fit on you, you can borrow mine as long as you need it, okay?” “But won’t you get cold??” She asked, her concern making his soul skip a beat. “I only feel extremes, as far as temperature goes. Hell, I can handle going into Hotland while wearing my coat, even.” He grinned, and he was happy to see her relax. “Ready for me to take you to the counter?” She nodded, and soon he paid for everything, making sure she didn’t see the total, and soon began guiding her to his home, knowing Papyrus won’t be there for a little while. 

“Why don’t we get you washed, dressed, and rested before I take you further? It’s been a long trek, and it’s only longer past the blizzard outside of town.” She groaned a little, but she nodded softly. “Okay…. But only enough to be fully rested, then we continue, okay?” “Of course, sweetheart.” He smiled, and…. His soul throbbed when he noticed her flush at being called by that little name. ‘Damn, she’s cute…. And she seems to not be upset anymore over our initial meeting, too…. Thank the angel.’

Before long, he had Ashton in his warm, comfortable home, and was leading her to the bathroom so she could wash up and change in some comfortable privacy. He didn’t want to ruin his chances with her further than he had already, though…. He did wonder what she looked like under clothes…. Sure, they didn’t leave too much to the imaginations as is, but…. There was a special pleasure in seeing the real thing, seeing a beautiful creature bare herself, trusting him—He needed to not have thoughts like that, not right now. It’s bad enough her scent would be in the house, but his own arousal would raise suspicions in Pap, and….

He didn’t want to find out her feelings as far as…. Well…. ‘brotherly love’ goes. Of course, their relationship outside of the house seemed rocky, but it was all for show, and when they were home, Edge would treat him with much love and care, and would always soothe any wounds he may have made in public, be they outward or emotional. And, he’d always be greeted with a—“Sans?? Are you home??” Red nearly jumped a good three feet off the ground, before turning to Papyrus. “B-Boss—“ “Sans, you know you can call me Pap when we’re home alone, you silly thing.” Papyrus smirked, before noticing Sans was missing his coat, then smirked. “I presume you’re ready for your reward for working hard this morning, hmmm~<3?”

Oh angel help him, and keep Ash occupied.


	8. Things are…. Getting Interesting….~

Papyrus was marching confidently with a skip in his step with Ashton under his arm, being the focus of everyone’s gazes as he walked through town. Though, once he was at his home, he frowned, looking down at her. She was nabbed at her weakest moment in his perception, and he went so far as making her soul heavy to reduce the struggle…. He felt TERRIBLE. “Why must someone so great must also have the biggest heart?” He groaned, and moved to set her on the couch, and found that she was unconscious. He gasped softly, and checked her pulse, and was glad to feel that she was still alive…. After all, she seemed rather exhausted, and being jerked into being limp could be fatal if done wrong. Papyrus Sighed, and softly brushed the shock of purple off of her face, wanting a better look. She looked peaceful, which was odd to the skeleton, but he was glad she didn’t look troubled. He then went to get her a blanket, and also brought over a small pitcher with over half of it being full of ice, with water filling the rest. He didn’t know when the woman may wake, so it’s better to be as prepared as possible. 

Though, when Sans came home, he was shocked to see Ashton lying on the couch, and was on edge. “Pap, why is the human on the couch?” “Because I didn’t have the heart to put her in the shed after nabbing her the way I did….” Papyrus sighed, looking at his brother. “And I know you told me not to do anything more than give her up to Undyne for the king, but…. I don’t know…. After seeing how violent Undyne is towards humans…. I can’t help but worry that…. That human capturing is the wrong thing to do. The small quiet human and Ian were so kind and spooked when I challenged them to a fight!! Sans…. Why are you so against humans?” The taller brother asked of the shorter, whose eye lights went out. “Because her LV Is at 20, and I don’t want you anywhere near her.”

\--

Soon, Honey brought Ashton to a shop to get her warmer clothes, and found out fairly quickly she enjoyed oversized sweaters, comfy-looking sweats and comfy but appropriate shoes, and also found out she was having difficulty finding a coat to wear. “Hey, Ash, I know it’s not much, but you can wear my hoodie until you don’t need it anymore.” “Are you sure?” She asked, her concern clear in her tone, though soon after, she looked a little confused. “I think I have had some déjà vu….” “I wouldn’t doubt it…. After all, I don’t think you’re the ‘master’ of this timeline, but more like a visitor.” “We’re talking about this more after we get back to your place.” Ash sounded tired when she spoke, but wasn’t telling him off. 

Once the stuff was bought, the pair soon arrived at the skeletons’ home, Ash let out a sigh of relief, and flopped onto the couch. “SO tired….” She whined, the small of her back peeking from where her tank top and hoodies rode up, making Honey flush a bit. But, she soon moved to sit on the couch properly, looking up at the flushing skeleton, making her quirk a brow. “Why are your cheekbones orange?” She asked, making Honey flush more. “I-I uh…. It’s from the temperature shift.” Nailed it. “Anyways…. So, I’m a ‘visitor’ to your timeline…. Right? What does that mean?” She asked, a bit confused. Honey sighed, and sat next to her. “Okay, it’s like this: you’re in a videogame, but you’re an NPC, while your brother, Ian, is the player. Now, he can use save points and be able to benefit from soft resets. Meanwhile you, though you can use saves, it does nothing for you. If you ran out of HP, you’re done… Luckily, though, you have enough to survive most monsters….” She paled at that, “M-most??” “Er, well, there are boss monsters and stronger monsters that can potentially kill you and take your soul…. But, I’ll do everything I can to prevent that. I don’t want Ian returning home only to find out you’ve died.” He smiled sadly, and she nodded, and curled up, hugging her knees. 

“Hey, tell you what, I’ll make you something to eat, and you take a nice long bath to help you warm up, hmm?” Ash smiled a little, and nodded before leaning over and hugging him, her breasts pressing against him for a moment before she pulled away, and got up, taking her new clothes with him to the bathroom. Honey watched her go, whining silently as he felt that familiar warmth build in his core again. ‘Dammit…. Why are you getting to me, Ashton?’ he asked himself, before he worked on removing her scent from the couch, knowing how sharp his brother’s nose was. Once that was done, he let out a sigh of relief….

Until the door slammed open, with a frustrated Berry stomping in. “Ian got out!!” He muttered, upset, and plenty loud enough for Ashton to hear over the water in the shower upstairs. “Bro, chill, I’m sure we’ll get another chance at you becoming a member of the royal guard—” “But I wanted to be a Guard this time!!” He yelled, stomping his boot on the floor, then sighed, before squinting at Honey. ”Where did your hoodie go?” “Oh, uh, it’s in the wash!!” “Oh really now? Well then…. Why isn’t the rest of your outfit in the wash~?” Berry purred, a smirk on his mouth. Poor Honey was panicking internally as his brother came closer. “You’re even letting off such a sweet scent already… Were you hoping to get me in the mood when I got home~<3?” Honey gulped, and nodded, hating that he was lying to Berry. “O-of course…. I-I felt you were upset, s-so I wanted to get hot s-so I could help you let off some steam and cuddle you after<3” The shorter skeleton purred louder, looking up at Honey with hungry eyes before sitting on the couch, “Then strip for me, and sit in front of me~<3”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading this, and I will also add that I have a fanfiction.net account as well, so if you think my work has been copied, it has, but by myself! I simply wished to post it here so I may let more people enjoy my work, and also incorporate art when possible! I may edit some pictures into this chapter when I can, but if anyone's interested in making fanart, don't be afraid to do so!! I'd love to see what you all would imagine this story's characters!! But, if you do make art, please be sure to tag blackrosaria28 on tumblr, or my username, lovelybones28, that way I can see it!


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